"BAH!" Kronos screamed, his face twisted in such hate and furry I took a step back, bumping into Percy. He slashed his sword through the smoke, tearing the image to shreds. 

"They're on their way," Percy said. "You've lost."

"I haven't even started." Kronos snarled.

He advanced with blinding speed. Grover- brave, stupid satyr that he was- tried to jump into the way but Kronos tossed him aside like a rag doll. Raph stood up with a savage yell. Kronos just flicked his wrist, just as Raph took a step forward. Raph was tossed through the air, and slammed into the base of his fathers chair, and didn't get back up. 

I screamed for him to get up. But he didn't. He didn't move. 

I sidestepped and jabbed under Kronos's guard, just trying to get to Raph. It was a good trick. Unfortunately, Luke knew it. He twisted and then kicked my chest sending me toppling back into the hearth fire.  Percy leapt forwards, with a wild yell of his own. He tried doing the same maneuver I just tried, but on the other side. He countered the strike and disarmed him using one of the first moves he'd Percy, or so he claims. Percy's sword skittered across the ground and fell straight into the open fissure. 

"STOP!" Annabeth came from nowhere.

Kronos whirled to face her and slashed with Backbiter, but somehow Annabeth caught the strike on her dagger hilt. It was a move only the quickest and most skilled knife fighter could've managed. Don't ask me where she found the strength, but she stepped in closer for leverage, their blades crossed, and for a moment she stood face-to-face with the Titan lord, holding him at a standstill.

"Luke," she said, gritting her teeth, "I understand now. You have to trust me."

Kronos roared in outrage. "Luke Castellan is dead! His body will burn away as I assume my true form!"

I tried to move, but my body was frozen again. How could Annabeth, battered and half dead with exhaustion, have the strength to fight a Titan like Kronos?

Kronos pushed against her, trying to dislodge his blade, but she held him in check, her arms trembling as he forced his sword down toward her neck.

"Your mother," Annabeth grunted. "She saw your fate."

"Service to Kronos!" the Titan roared. "This is my fate."

"No!" Annabeth insisted. Her eyes were tearing up, but I didn't know if it was from sadness or pain. "That's not the end, Luke. The prophecy: she saw what you would do. It applies to you!"

"I will crush you, child!" Kronos bellowed.

"You won't," Annabeth said. "You promised. You're holding Kronos back even now."

"LIES!" Kronos pushed again, and this time Annabeth lost her balance. With his free hand, Kronos struck her face, and she slid backward. 

I summoned all my will. I managed to rise, but it was like holding the weight of the sky again. Percy was also struggling. Kronos loomed over Annabeth, his sword raised.

Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. She croaked, "Family, Luke. You promised." She looked like such a small child, her voice wavered. 

I took a painful step forward. Grover was back on his feet, over by the throne of Hera, but he seemed to be struggling to move as well. Raph hadn't moved. My heart felt like shattering again. Before either of us could get anywhere close to Annabeth, Kronos staggered. 

He stared at the knife in Annabeth's hand, the blood on her face. "Promise."

Then he gasped like he couldn't get air. "Annabeth..." But it wasn't the Titan's voice. It was Luke's. He stumbled forward like he couldn't control his own body. "You're bleeding..."

"My knife." Annabeth tried to raise her dagger, but it clattered out of her hand. Her arm was bent at a funny angle. She looked at Percy who was closer, imploring, "Percy, please . . ."

I could move again. Percy could suddenly as well, he lunged forward and scooped up her knife. He knocked Backbiter out of Luke's hand, and it spun into the hearth, towards me. Luke hardly paid me any attention as I struggled to my feet. He stepped toward Annabeth, but Percy put himself between Luke and her.

"Don't touch her," He snarled.

Anger rippled across his face. Kronos's voice growled: "Jackson..." Was it my imagination, or was his whole body glowing, turning gold? 

He gasped again. Luke's voice: "He's changing. Help. He's... he's almost ready. He won't need my body anymore, he'll use her. Please- "

"NO!" Kronos bellowed. He looked around for his sword, but it was in the hearth, glowing among the coals.  He stumbled toward it, towards me. Percy tried to stop him, but he pushed him out of the way with such force he landed next to Annabeth and cracked his head on the base of Athena's throne. The crack echoed around the destroyed room.

I slowly bent down and picked up the titan's sword. I could feel the white hot burn of the curse on my wrists and palms. I felt the evil in the blade. With shaking hands I held his own blade up. It was like lifting the weight of every curse the Titan ever spewed, the weight of the whole worlds hopes. It was so heavy I dropped to one knee. My arms shook. 

"No." I whispered. 

"What did you say to me, child?" 

"I said no." I said louder. "I wont be used again. I wont be used to destroy the world." I struggled to stand up, I would face him on my feet, my head held high.

"I will do what I want...when I want!" 

"No. Luke is fighting you right now, all because of a promise of family, of love. What everyone forgot about you, Luke, all you wanted was love and acceptance. A family. You had that. You understood that for a little. You just forgot. Thalia and Annabeth, they were family. What about Conner and Travis? Beckendorf? They were family, Luke. " 

"NO!" Luke's body shuddered and then he collapsed. In a flash of brilliant light, I felt such intense pain. It was worse then dipping in the Styx. Worse then all the pain mixed together and then doubled. My body felt like it was being ripped apart limb from limb, muscle from bone, cell by cell. I screamed in pain and doubled over. My body twitched and shock in pain. 

"Ahhh my blood. My titan blood." 

The voice hissed in my head, it made the pain infinitely worse. I cried out in pain. I dropped to my knees as my body withered in pain. 

Kronos had finally possessed my body. I saw Luke's body abandoned on the floor. I saw Raph's broken body by the foot of Ares's throne, I saw Percy struggling to his feet, Annabeth's knife in his hands. His face was that of shock and fear. I felt my body shudder, and my conscious was forced down, Kronos looked through my eyes, his gold eyes turned to Percy and I felt my face force into a twisted triumphant smile. My head was jerked towards Percy as he staggered towards me. At my brother. I felt my jaw unclench and Krono's voice forced it's way out of my mouth. 

"Nora?" He asked hesitantly.

"No fool!" Kronos forced my jaw to hinge and his voice came spewing out of my mouth.

"You can't do it Perseus Jackson. I can see how weak and foolish you are" 

I felt a shuddering in my body. I struggled, like I was drowning, I was burning away, my soul was burning again. I shuddered and let an agonizing scream of pain out. 

"Come on Nora, fight it! Fight him!" I heard Percy's voice from a distance.

"You're a weak minded fool Jackson." Kronos spat. "Once I have her power I will be even stronger!"

"No..." I managed to force. "You...you are the weak and foolish..." 

I saw every face I counted as a friend and family. But the faces that shown the brightest made me smile. Percy's cocky smirk, Raph's smug yet broody smirk, Nico's twisted smile, Will's gentle calm smile, Dad and Sally full of kindness and care, and I saw my mother and Apollo. I saw each of their love and how much those people made me who I was. 

"I love you..." 

I didn't know who I spoke to, but I whispered it before my body convulsed, my eyes rolled into my head and I collapsed into the coals of the hearth fire. The agenizing feeling of everything being ripped apart fled me. As my eyes fluttered I saw a blinding light again, and Luke jerked. He got to his feet, he reached down and grabbed the sword from where I had dropped it into the coals again. He bellowed in pain and dropped it. His hands were smoking and seared. The hearth fire had grown red-hot, like the scythe wasn't compatible with it. I saw an image of Hestia flickering in the ashes, frowning at Kronos with disapproval. 

Luke turned and collapsed, clutching his ruined hands. "Please, Percy . . ."

Percy struggled. He moved toward him with the knife. He hesitated. Looking into the face of his old friend, then he looked at me. I was still smoldering, having trouble breathing- the pain was unbearable still. My wrists and palm burnt.  From the slits on my eyelids I could see Percy wince. Percy looked back at Luke.

Luke seemed to know what he was thinking. He moistened his lips. "You can't . . . can't do it yourself. He'll break my control. He'll defend himself. Only my hand. I know where. I can . . . can keep him controlled." 

He was definitely glowing now, his skin starting to smoke. 

"Please Percy....look what he did to Nora." 

He raised the knife to strike. Then he looked at Annabeth, at Grover cradling her in his arms, Raph still hadn't moved. And then he looked at me. I just managed to force my eyes open enough. 

"Trust Annabeth...You are not the hero."

"Please," Luke groaned. "No time."

"Do it...Perc. Please. It'll be okay." 

If Kronos evolved into his true form, there would be no stopping him. He would make Typhon look like a playground bully. The line from the great prophecy echoed in my head: A hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap. I could see the understanding in Percy's eyes, I could see his whole world tip upside down. Percy handed the knife to Luke.

Grover yelped. "Percy? Are you . . . um . . ."

But we all watched as Luke grasped the hilt.

Percy stood before him- defenseless.

He unlatched the side straps of his armor, exposing a small bit of his skin just under his left arm, a place that would be very hard to hit. With difficulty, he stabbed himself.

It wasn't a deep cut, but Luke howled. I screamed as  I felt the pain as well. Maybe it was because Kronos had been inside my head and body. The throne room shook, throwing Percy off his feet. An aura of energy surrounded Luke, growing brighter and brighter. I withered in pain. Everything around me suddenly shut off. All noise was gone. Everything around me was silent. My eyes fluttered closed, a moment later I felt a force like a nuclear explosion blister my skin and crack my lips.

When I finally opened my eyes again for a brief moment, I saw Luke sprawled at the hearth. On the floor around him was a blackened circle of ash. Kronos's scythe had liquefied into molten metal and was trickling into the coals of the hearth, which now glowed like a blacksmith's furnace.

Luke's left side was bloody. His eyes were open—blue eyes, the way they used to be. His breath was a deep rattle. Kronos was gone. I sighed and I was pulled into the darkness. 

🔆

My eyes finally fluttered open. My entire body hurt. It took me a few times to peel them open and keep them open. There was a brilliant light hovering over me. My blurry eyes focused on the face only inches from me. 

"Dad?" I tried talking, I was mute once again. I raised a shaking hand, it felt like lead ran though my veins, it felt incredibly heavy. "Dad?" I signed. 

Apollo broke into such a relieved smile. He pulled me close and wrapped me in such a tight fatherly hug. I choked back a sob, and wrapped my arms around him, burying my face into his shoulder. He stroked my hair for a moment. I suddenly pulled away, fear and panic flashed in my body. 

"Dad! Raph! He wasn't moving- he was-" 

Apollo placed a hand over mine. "Shh Sunbeam. He's fine." 

Another face appeared in my line of vision. He looked perfectly fine, he was still banged up and bruised, but he was hole and had a healthy glow. I launched myself into his arms. Raph hugged me tight for a moment before pulling away. 

"What happened?" I sighed. I looked around. 

All the gods were standing by the broken doors in their full war regalia, all with weapons raised, like they expecting a battle. Apollo and Artes and Raph knelt beside me, I looked around again and saw Annabeth, Grover, and Percy standing over the body of a broken Luke, in the dim warm light of the hearth.

"Percy," Poseidon called, it was easy to read his lips, he had slight awe in his face. "What . . . what is this?" His intelligent eyes took in the room and I had a feeling he knew exactly what happened. After all, Percy and I told what was going to happen, or at lest best we could. Apollo helped me to my feet. And I limped over to Percy's side, Raph right beside me. Apollo and Artemis right behind me. Percy turned and faced the Olympians.

"We need a shroud," He announced, his hands shook, I saw the tears in his eyes. I placed my hand on his elbow, he glanced to me and I nodded. 

"A shroud for the son of Hermes." I signed.